


Black Cat

by fairietailed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Other, killing characters and being sad, wow i never write angst yet here i am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 00:19:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6216010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairietailed/pseuds/fairietailed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was the black cat. </p>
<p>He had never been the lucky one in this relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song Black Cat by Never Shout Never.
> 
> I'm very sorry.

He hadn’t known it had happened until it was already done.

 

They’d been cutting it close more often than not lately - they knew that - but it wasn’t something that they had been able to fix. Hawkmoth had been getting desperate, the akumas getting more dangerous, Ladybug and Chat Noir getting sloppy (no matter how much they refused to admit it). After almost four years of back-and-forth, Hawkmoth was getting impatient, and they were getting too confident.

 

It was bound to catch up to them eventually.

 

In hindsight, he was surprised it hadn’t come sooner. Chat Noir was a black cat, he was never one for luck. That was his Lady’s job. That was...

 

His Lady.

 

His Ladybug.

 

Where was Ladybug?

 

They had been fighting the latest akuma - he could remember that. He stood on the Pont Alexandre, his head spinning as he took in his surroundings. Everything around him was either broken or empty since he and Ladybug had evacuated the civilians, and he could hear the akuma screaming from the other side of the bridge, sonic waves reverberating throughout the surrounding area. If his ears hadn’t already been ringing, Chat was sure he may have gone deaf.

 

They had been fighting the victim for almost half of a day now. Or had it only been a couple of hours? Either way, he was bruised and broken and had to find Ladybug. He couldn’t let her fight alone.

 

He was so tired, he was so tired, he was  _ so _ tired... One eye was already swelling and bruised, and he could barely see through the haze as he moved, stumbling forward from where he stood and beginning to move across the destroyed bridge in front of him.

 

His miraculous beeped once.

 

_ Plagg is probably so tired _ , he thought to himself, chest heaving as he propped himself up on the nearest lamppost, eyes squeezed shut as he counted,  _ five. Five times we’ve had to transform today. How many times has Ladybug- _

 

He coughed, wincing at the pain in his ribs. Had that always been there?

 

A breath shuddered through him, and he straightened up. Now was not the time.

 

He could hear the akuma scream again, buildings shaking as cracks formed in their foundations. The bridge cracked beneath his feet, and he had to scramble to keep upright as it shook. One of the buildings across the river finally gave out, dust swelling like a mushroom cloud as it fell. Adrien stifled a bitter laugh at the imagery.

 

Instead he grit his teeth and cracked his neck, stretching his arm across his chest as he began moving forward (albeit very tentatively) across the bridge. His goal was still in front of him - he needed to find Ladybug. He rolled his shoulders, praying that he would make it before his body broke apart as he crouched into a running position, taking off on all fours. He was careful as he made his way across the crumbling bridge, hopping across slabs of uneven cement like they were landmines.

 

He had made it nearly two-thirds of the way across when he miss-stepped, his feet giving out beneath him as the chunk of concrete he landed on gave out completely, falling into the Seine below him. He managed to grab hold of a more stable piece of cement, heaving himself up and collapsing once he made it to solid land. He laid out on the floor for a minute, spread-eagle, chest heaving as he contemplated simply  _ not _ getting up at all.

 

The sun had already begun to set, painting the sky above him in watercolors he had only seen in paintings. If he had the time to appreciate it more, he may have been impressed.

 

His miraculous beeped twice.

 

He sighed, a pain shooting through his chest, pushing himself off of the ground and standing on the edge of the Seine. He knew he didn’t have much time left; Ladybug was somewhere in the city and he needed to find her  _ now _ .

 

He didn’t have to make much of an effort, though, as she came swinging in from in front of him, landing a few hundred feet away. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding, jogging to her side and assessing her current state. She had a few bruises and a cut on her left cheek, but it was nowhere near as terrible as him. He let out a sigh of relief, stifling a wince. She couldn’t know how hurt he was.

 

So he feigned innocence.

 

“Hey there, Bugaboo. You look paw-sitively perfect, as usual.” He leaned on his staff, grateful that it could hold his weight. Mostly because he wasn’t sure if he could honestly stand on his own two feet much longer.

 

“I wish I could say the same of you, kitty cat. Are you feeling up for this right now?” The usual humor in her tone was missing, and she looked at him with a concern that made his stomach turn. So he laughed, shaking his head and waving his hand dismissively.

 

“I’m up for anything as long as it’s with you, my Lady.”

 

She smiled in response, crouching into a stance that showed how ready she was. Chat mimicked her, though he hung back a bit in case he couldn’t keep up.

 

The akuma had clearly followed Ladybug, crying and screaming as it floated across the open space in front of them. It began to throw cars and uproot the trees that surrounded them, tears streaming down its face, clawing at its own arms and begging for it to stop, just stop, I’m so sorry, please just  _ stop _ . 

 

Chat watched on with confusion, not understanding what the victim was referring to.

 

“It... Doesn’t want to fight?” Ladybug asked the question hesitantly, her eyebrows pulling together. A lump formed in his throat as he nodded, agreeing with her.

 

“I don’t... think so.”

 

They watched as the akuma lowered itself to the floor, landing on all fours and crying, asking an invisible presence to just end it, to take their powers, begging them to let them go. Ladybug took an uneasy step forward, reaching out as if to grab the necklace the tainted butterfly resided in. But as she moved, the victim screamed, holding its head and clawing at its hair, screaming about how sorry it was, saying “Please, Hawkmoth, I’m sorry. Please, I’ll take care of it.” 

 

It stood, throwing its arms above its head with a tortured scream, lifting the cars around it while it cried, begging for their miraculouses, I  _ need your miraculouses- _

 

Realization dawned as Chat lunged, pushing Ladybug out of the way just as the victim hurled a car in their direction, sliding beneath the falling vehicle and onto the steps of the Grand Palais. When had they gotten here? He couldn’t remember, frowning to himself as the corner of one of the steps dug into the small of his back. It took him longer than it normally would to get up, but he ended up standing all the same.

 

His miraculous beeped a third time. He was running out of time.

 

Ladybug, meanwhile, was as flawless as she’d ever been. He watched in awe as she made an attempt at her fifth Lucky Charm that day, a giant pair of mittens falling from her yoyo. He snorted at the item, pushing himself off of the steps and limping his way toward the girl in front of him.  _ How the hell was she supposed to use-? _

 

“You know, for a ladybug, your luck doesn’t seem to be working too well today.” It came out drier than he’d intended, but he didn’t miss the smile that crossed her face when she heard.

 

“Says the black cat, hmm?”

 

He laughed, short and sarcastic, before holding his staff out in front of him. “That’s to be expected, my-”

 

He hadn’t known it had happened until it was already done.

 

The akuma had screamed again, shattering the dome of the Palais as it clawed at its head, begging for it to stop, for the pain to stop, for Hawkmoth to  _ stop _ -

 

The shards of glass above them had begun to fly, fast and hard, and they had been directed toward Ladybug.

 

Without thinking he leapt, pushing Ladybug out of the way as the shards rained down around him, and he had barely had time to spin his staff as a makeshift shield before his partner had used her lucky charm and grabbing the necklace, breaking it in half and cleansing the butterfly that flew out.

 

It was over.

 

They had won.

 

He let out a strangled laugh, coughing as he felt something warm making its way down his chin, covering the front of his suit. But he smiled, because they had won, and his Lady had been as amazing as ever, and he reached out to her as she turned, expecting a smile back-

 

But instead she was crying. Why was she crying?

 

He followed her line of sight, looking down toward his abdomen, confused and concerned at the look on her face. And as soon as he saw what was making her cry, he felt any color left in his face drain completely.

 

A shard of glass from the dome of the Grand Palais was sitting half of a foot into his stomach. It was warm, he thought offhandedly, watching as the front of his suit grew red as it seeped through the supposed indestructible material. He blinked once, twice, three times in complete disbelief. How?

 

He had been too slow. His reaction time delayed. That had to be it - what else could it have been?

 

“-at?”

 

His head snapped up, vision blurry through hot tears that he could feel on his cheeks. Ladybug was in front of him, one hand covering her mouth and the other outreached toward him, shaking slightly. He heard her repeat her question, her own tears mirroring his.

 

“Chat?”

 

He smiled weakly, giving a half-shrug before falling backwards. Ladybug was there to catch him, and lay him down on the sidewalk. The cement was cold, and it was a shock compared to the heat on his abdomen. He coughed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, the warmth on his chin growing along with a metallic taste in his mouth.

 

Blood.

 

He was coughing up blood.

 

He laughed, disbelief flooding through him, closing his eyes so he didn’t have to see his Lady crying over him.

 

“You... Need to fix... Everything.” He pointed toward the mittens on the ground behind her, and she nodded numbly, standing.

 

He hummed to himself as he watched the streaks of red flow through the sky, nearly blending in with the sunset above him. He felt the familiar feeling of Ladybug’s magic flow over him, but this time it wasn’t able to make him feel better.

 

In fact, as the shard in his abdomen disappeared completely, it made him feel even worse.

 

The sky was beginning to grow dark. The abundance of watercolors that were once so beautiful had now bled together, the color now nothing more than a rusted red. He frowned, gritting his teeth as he felt his tears fall out of the corners of his eyes, landing in his ears as he lay on his back. Soon Ladybug was above him again, holding his stomach and smiling weakly down at him.

 

“Hey, kitty. Just... Hold on, okay? Help is going to be here soon.”

 

Chat coughed out another laugh, grinning up at his partner. “You do realize... That’s what the hero always tells.. the sidekick? Right before they die.”

 

Ladybug frowned. “This time is different.”

 

“I think I saw that in a movie once.”

 

She cursed, using her free hand to wipe at her eyes as she shook her head. “Shut up. I’m not letting you die, Chat.”

 

“Are you hurt at all?”

 

“No.” Her response was instant and bitter, and he could feel the blame that she was placing on herself. So he attempted to smile even bigger, though judging by her worried face, he was pretty sure he had ended up wincing in pain instead. But he pressed on anyway.

 

“Then that’s... what matters... Bugaboo.”

 

“No!” Her teeth were grit, eyes practically flaming as she put more pressure on his open wound. He hissed, but she paid him no mind. “That’s  _ not _ what matters, idiot! What about you? You’re hurt!  _ That’s _ what matters!”

 

He needed her to know that it wasn’t her fault. How could he let her know that he doesn’t want her to hurt because of him? How can he let her know-

 

“It’s... not your fault... you know.”

 

She glared at him, jaw set and nose red as she held back tears. He placed a hand over hers, moving it away, putting his own hands in her place.

 

“You’ve always been the luck in this relationship.... My lives were bound to run out... Eventually. Right?”

 

He heard her choke out a sob, bringing the back of her hand to her lips as she attempted to silence it.

 

His miraculous beeped a fourth and final time, a familiar green light surrounding him as Plagg appeared by his side, holding his cheek and pressing his small forehead to Adrien’s skin.

 

If the shard of glass disappearing had made him hurt before, losing the affects of his suit nearly knocked him unconscious.

 

His tears fell freely now, his entire body feeling as though he had been beaten ten times over. His stomach was still warm, but everywhere else felt unbelievably cold. His body shook as he sobbed, Plagg silently holding him as Ladybug watched with a new horror on her face.

 

Ladybug.

 

He heaved a few breaths, wiping at his eyes and turning toward his partner.

 

“I know you didn’t... Want to know, but.. here we are, I guess.” He laughed bitterly, his entire body feeling like it was hit by a truck. He made a note to himself to avoid doing that, for the time being.

 

Ladybug was silent, hands on her knees, palms facing the sky.

 

“Adrien?”

 

The way she said his name made him want to puke. It was broken, scared, filled with a pain that he didn’t understand.

 

“How-”

 

And then a red light was surrounding them, a warmth running through him that wasn’t from his open wound. And suddenly Marinette was above him, her normally blue eyes so red with all of her tears, and she had grabbed him by the front of his shirt and was leaning toward him and-

 

Blue. Her eyes were blue.

 

He could smell the bakery on her clothes. He could feel her sobbing as she held him, could hear her cries as she buried her face in his neck.

 

Why had he never noticed that her eyes were _so_ _blue_?

 

The same blue as his Lady’s.

 

She was his Ladybug.

 

He choked, on his realization or on his own blood he couldn’t be sure, but the weight in his chest seemed to crush him as he laid in Marinette’s arms as she cried over him.

 

Marinette.

 

It had always been Marinette.

 

He wanted to move, wanted to reach out and hold her back. He wanted more than anything to be able to run his fingers through her hair, and tell her that it was okay, that it was going to be  _ okay _ -

 

No.

 

He wanted more than anything  _ for _ it to be okay.

 

He wanted to stand up, brush off his shirt with a laugh and pull Marinette close, telling her that it’s all over, and they can go home. He wanted to hug her, to kiss her with the excitement of knowing that it was  _ her _ , that  _ she _ was his Ladybug. He wanted to sweep her off of her feet and twirl her through the air because it was  _ Marinette _ , his best friend, his partner for the past four years, his first real friend that he had ever made in the rain on the steps in front of their school. 

 

He wanted her to look at him the same way she had when she had taken his umbrella, full of wonder and interest and  _ love _ and fuck, why hadn’t he seen it earlier?

 

He wanted Plagg to be able to eat all of the camembert he wanted tonight when they get back to his house, and he wanted to thank him for all of the years of amazing experiences he had been gifted with because of him. He wanted to thank him for being his friend, and thank him for saving him so many times, both in and out of the suit that he would give him.

 

He wanted him to know that the one time he couldn’t save him was not his fault.

 

And he wanted to see his father one last time, and tell him that he loved him, that he had forgiven him for becoming cold and distant after his mother disappeared. That he didn’t blame him, and that he would love him no matter what he did, that he could do no true wrong in Adrien’s eyes.

 

He wanted to be able to hug him, just one more time.

 

He wanted to live.

 

But he couldn’t, he realized, he couldn’t. He wasn’t able to hold Marinette, to reach out to her. His arms wouldn’t move, and his voice wouldn’t work. He couldn’t tell her how sorry he was and he couldn’t tell Plagg how grateful he was and his chest felt like it was being crushed with every second that passed as he realized that he wasn’t going to make it.

 

He was the black cat. He was never the lucky one in this relationship.

 

Everything was becoming dizzy, and he searched for any strength he had, anything that he had left, in order to make one last desperate attempt to tell Ladybug that it wasn’t her fault. To tell Marinette that he loved her, and that it would never be her fault.

 

And as she pulled back, blue eyes nearly swollen shut and his own blood smeared across her cheek, he found it.

 

“You’re looking flawless as ever, my Lady.”

 

And he beamed at her, his body feeling a new form of weightlessness as the world became fuzzy around him, like it did when he stayed up too late at night and was too tired to move. He was so tired now, too. He just wanted to sleep.

 

The last thing he was able to see before his eyes closed were his Lady’s across from him, so blue and beautiful and endless, and he could hear her call his name as he drifted off in her arms.

 

If this was it, Adrien thought, hearing Marinette call out his name again, then maybe he wasn’t as unlucky as he had always said he was.


End file.
